Ambrosius Francken I
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618) was a Flemish painter known for his religious works and historical allegories painted in a late Mannerist style. He was a prominent member of the
Francken The Francken family was a family of artists the members of which were mainly active in Antwerp in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of the members over three generations had the same first names Frans, Hieronymus and Ambrosius. While this may at ...
family of artists, which played a very important role in the Flemish art scene from the late 16th to middle 17th century.


Life

Ambrosius Francken I was born in Herentals. His father was the painter Nicolaes Francken from Herentals who later moved to Antwerp. His brothers Frans Francken I and
Hieronymus Francken I Hieronymus Francken I or Hieronymus Francken the Elder (ca. 1540, Herentals–1610, Paris) was a Flemish painter and an important member of the Francken family of artists. After training in Antwerp, he was mainly active in France, where he ...
both became successful painters. Ambrosius studied under his father and the leading Antwerp Mannerist painter
Frans Floris Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits.< ...
.Ambrosius Francken
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
The early biographer Karel van Mander reports in the Schilder-boeck that Francken spent time in
Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
where he lived at the Bishop's residence. Van Mander met him in Tournai while he himself was residing there as a young pupil at his master
Pieter Vlerick Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 to ...
's house.Ambrosius Francken
in: Karel van Mander, '' Schilder-boeck'', 1604
In 1570 Francken spent some time in
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
.Ursula Härting. "Francken." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 29 July 2014 Around 1573 Ambrosius Francken I was back in Antwerp where he joined the local Guild of Saint Luke as a master. Ambrosius lived in a very turbulent time due to the conflict between
Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
and
Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in the Low Countries. In 1577 Antwerp had elected a Calvinist city council. The council ordered in 1581 the systematic removal of all images from local churches. This event is referred to as the 'silent iconoclasm'.David Freedberg, ''The Representation of Martyrdoms During The Early Counter-Reformation in Antwerp'', Burlington Magazine, 1976, p. 132-138 Ambrosius, who is believed to have converted to Calvinism himself, was elected dean of the Guild in 1582. After the Fall of Antwerp, the city became Catholic again and Ambrosius made it known he was Catholic again. He clearly established a name for himself as a prolific maker of the many altarpieces that replaced the ones destroyed during the iconoclastic troubles. His reputation was such that in 1589 he together with Maerten de Vos was appointed by the Ghent magistrate to value the painting of the ''Last Judgment'' by Raphael Coxie. Raphael Coxie was involved in a dispute with the Ghent magistrate who he felt was offering a sum that was too low for his masterpiece. Ambrosius Francken and Marten de Vos were also chosen as the chief designers of the decorations for the 1594 Joyous Entry into Antwerp of the newly appointed governor of the Southern Netherlands,
Archduke Ernest of Austria Archduke Ernest of Austria (german: Ernst von Österreich; 15 June 1553 – 20 February 1595) was an Austrian prince, the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain. Biography Born in Vienna, he was educated with his brothe ...
. He married Clara Pickarts and later became the teacher of Hieronymus Francken II, the son of his brother Frans Francken I. He died in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
.


Work

Ambrosius Francken I is known for religious works and historical allegories. He made large altarpieces for churches in Antwerp that replaced the many artworks that had disappeared during the iconoclastic fervour of the '' Beeldenstorm'' a few decades before. His compositions depicting muscular figures based on classical prototypes exercised an important influence on contemporary artists. His style shows the influence of
Marten de Vos Maerten de Vos, Maerten de Vos the Elder or Marten de Vos (1532 – 4 December 1603)Maerten de Vos
at the
in the opulently draped robes and other details. He occasionally painted the staffage in the landscapes of
Abraham Govaerts Abraham Govaerts (1589 – 9 September 1626) was a Flemish painter who specialized in small cabinet-sized forest landscapes in the manner of Jan Brueghel the Elder and Gillis van Coninxloo. He was a regular collaborator with other artists who w ...
. Many of his works that have survived depict martyrdoms, a theme popular in Counter-Reformation Flanders. One of his important commissions was the painting of the triptych for the Guild of Barbers and Surgeons in 1590. One of the wings of the triptych depicts the miracles of the
Saints Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damian ( ar, قُزما ودميان, translit=Qozma wa Demyaan; grc-gre, Κοσμᾶς καὶ Δαμιανός, translit=Kosmás kai Damianós; la, Cosmas et Damianus; AD) were two Arab physicians in the town Cyrrhus, and were r ...
. The saints' most famous miraculous exploit was the grafting of a leg from a recently deceased Ethiopian to replace a patient's ulcered or cancerous leg. Unlike earlier representations of the subject which accentuate the role of the divine by including angels, a halo around the saints' heads and the role of the peaceful sleep of the patient receiving the transplant, Ambrosius' composition dwells more on the technique of the amputation and also shows the patient as a normal person whose face is distorted in pain. The saints have no nimbus and do not have help of angels. They use their own hands and their instruments are lying on the floor and are clearly recognizable. The depiction is more naturalistic than the earlier representations as it discounts the miraculous and makes the technical procedure take centre stage. During his Calvinist period (roughly 1579 to 1585) Ambrosius was responsible for a set of engravings called ''The Fate of Mankind'' that strongly criticised, even ridiculed, the Catholic clergy.About Ambrosius Francken I
at Jean Moust
Very few of his drawings have survived. Some drawings of scenes from the
commedia dell’arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
(including a drawing at the Amsterdam Museum) that are ascribed to Ambrosius I are interesting and show plays that he may have seen while residing in Fontainebleau in the 1570s.Ambrosius Francken (I) (circa 1544/1545–1618), ''Scene from the commedia dell'arte''
drawing at the Amsterdam Museum


References


External links


Family tree

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francken, Ambrosius 1 1544 births 1618 deaths Flemish Renaissance painters Flemish history painters Flemish genre painters People from Herentals Ambrosius 1